2
1 Element IA1
Principles of H&S Management
Reasons for Effective Management of H&S
We can identify 3 main reasons:
Eeeeee
Moral
 Employer owes a duty of reasonable
care to his/her's employees.
 Society expects employers to ensure the
health & safety of their workforce.
 It is unacceptable to place employees in
situations where thier H&S is at risk.
Legal
 Preventative- enforcement notices
issued by enforcement inspectors.
 Punitive- criminal courts impose fines &
imprisonment for breaches of legal duties.
 Compensatory- employees are able to sue in
the civil courts for compensation.
Economic- Insurance will cover some costs of  Not know the full cost for a long time (on-
accidents & ill-health, such as:
3
Societal Factors which Influence an
Organisation's Health & Safety & Priorities
Certain societal factors influence H&S standards:
GG CRIMES
 Government Policy- those who work
tend to be healthier than those who are
unemployed. Improving worker's health will
help keep people at work, who can then
contribute to society.
 Globalisation- businesses that operate
across the world may adopt different
standards depending on the requirements of
the host countries.
 Corporate Social Responsibility- the
voluntary actions that businesses can take to
address not only their own needs but also
those of the wider society.
 Risk Profile- higher-risk activities
demand greater standards than for lower
risk-activities.
 Compensation claims from employees.
 Damage to motor vehicles.
Other costs cannot be insured against:
 Fines from criminal prosecution.
 Loss of highly trained &/or experienced staff.
 Effects on employee morale & the resulting
reduction in productivity.
 Bad publicity leading to loss of contracts &/or
orders.
Organisations can find it very difficult to fully
quantify costs of accidents for a variety of
reasons. The company may:
 Lack resources-expertise/time
 Lack understanding that costs exist & miss
them entirely.
 Suffer from under/non reporting- & so be
unaware.
going civil case,compensation claims, effect of
loss of goodwill).
4
 Incapacity & Sickness levels
-the proportion of the working age population
on incapacity benefits is much higher today
than in the 1970's.
 Migrant Workers- in recent years
immigration policies have increased the
proportion of migrant workers.
 Economic Climate- wealthy countries
can afford to give occupational H&S a higher
priority.
 Societal expectations of equality- H&S
standards & priorities can be determined by
changes in societies expectations of equality.
Government Policy
Globalisation
Corporate Social Responsibility
Risk Profile
Incapacity & Sickness Levels
Migrant Workers
Economic Climate
Social Expectations of Equality